Pulling Back the Folds
by ShadowWolf Imbrium
Summary: Trigon has been defeated, and with his destruction ?, banishment? part of Raven, her truly dangerous side, was destroyed. She now has a little more freedom to feel her emotions, but this is new for her. She can feel happiness, friendship, even love withou


Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans nor anything else alluded to in this story, directly or indirectly.

Forward: Trigon has been defeated, and with his destruction (, banishment?) part of Raven, her truly dangerous side, was destroyed. She now has a little more freedom to feel her emotions, but this is new for her. She can feel happiness, friendship, even love without losing control, but her fears, and other negative emotions can still set off her powers. Life, however, has still returned to a semblance of normalcy, without the others really being aware of this change in Raven. She however, begins to realize that her feelings follow their own path, and sometimes they won't be ignored.

Forward p.s.: This story has nothing besides kissing till the epilogue, if you take offense from the more serious stuff then just don't read the epilogue, the story is still complete without it.

**Pulling Back the Folds**

**Raven's Room: Storm Rising**

It was raining outside again, she always loved it when it rained, it seemed as though the outside was matching her inner mood.

Raven's room was a lot like many people's nightmares. Dark, scary, and felt about as unfriendly as a place could be and not actually cause physical pain. The owner of this creepy room was levitating a foot off her bed with her nose in a book, as usual, and was trying to enjoy the storm outside as much as she could allow without losing herself in it. She had wanted to get away from everyone so that she could enjoy the sounds of the rain and the thunder in peace.

Rap, rap, rap

Raven's eyes snapped up from her book, vein throbbing in her temple. Who would be foolish enough to disturb her in her room when the rest of the team knew she wanted to be left alone. Only one person could be that naïve…

Sighing, Raven lowered herself back down onto her bed, slipped a bookmark between the pages, swung her legs off the bed and got up to answer the door. The dark girl slid her door open a couple of inches, just enough to peer outward stoically at the would-be disturber.

"Yes, Starfire?"

"Friend Raven, I was wondering if you might wish to do the 'hanging out' thing with me?" It was amazing how the Tamaranean girl could put so much enthusiasm in one innocent statement; it made Raven's head hurt a little.

"No," the word was so sharp it was surprising that she didn't cut herself on it.

Starfire's face deflated a little bit. No to be discouraged she replaced her smile on her face and strove forward.

"Perhaps later then…"

"No," this time she accentuated the word by snapping her door closed, almost taking off the tip of the alien's nose in the process. The cloaked figure walked quietly back to her bed and resumed her recently vacated position above her bed with her book. Unnoticed to Raven, Starfire walked dejectedly back to her room, hoping that later she might do the 'hanging out' thing with her friend.

A few moments later Raven's eyes once again wandered from the pages of her book, but for an entirely different reason. She had spent the last few minutes staring at the same page without taking in a word of it. Her mind, which usually was focused on a single task, kept drifting to how she had spoken to Starfire. Perhaps, she thought, she had been a little too hard on her. Star might be naïve and annoying at times but, conceivably, she was her best friend…

Crash

Raven's head whipped around to locate the source of the noise. A small, dark glass bird figure had fallen off a high shelf. She stared at it a moment before groaning slightly, that figure had been a gift form Starfire that was given to her shortly after the puppet king incident, Starfire's subtle was of saying she understood some of what Raven dealt with on a daily basis. She was puzzled though, she knew that she had put it far back on the shelf; there was no way it could have fallen. Unless…

Her powers. They must have lashed out at the figurine because she had been concerned about Starfire.

Sigh

Starfire's Room: Pulling Back the Folds 

Rap, rap, rap

"Enter."

The door slid open revealing a room quite different from the dark child's room. Bright, cheerful, it hurt Raven's eyes just looking around for the room's equally cheerful occupant.

"Starfire?"

"Oh! Hello friend Raven, I thought you wished to be left alone?"

"After you left I reconsidered."

"Do you mean you now wish to do the hanging out thing with me?" The girl was literally floating on air.

Raven steeled herself for her friend's eminent explosion of enthusiasm. "Yes, I was actually thinking that we might go to the mall." Raven's flat tone was lost on the floating alien.

"Wondrous!" Raven flinched from her friend's combined volume and emotional surge. "But, may I inquire why you changed your mind?" she asked in a calmer tone.

"Well…" Raven began. She was actually blushing a little. "They have a shop there that deals with glass and I hoped they might have something to repair this." Raven pulled a small bundle wrapped in what appeared to be a black handkerchief from underneath her cloak and carefully unwrapped it. Starfire gave a tiny gasp as the folds fell away to reveal several oddly shaped pieces of black glass. "It fell off my shelf." There was definitely some color on her normally pale face now.

"Oh, I am sure we will be able to find something," Starfire was obviously pleased that her normally withdrawn friend valued her gift enough to go to the mall with her, a fate that Raven dreaded almost as much as being forced to listen to Beast Boy's new jokes.

Raven carefully rewrapped the pieces of the delicate bird and stowed it back under her cloak. "I'm glad that you aren't upset about it breaking," she said quietly.

"Why would I be upset, it is not like you intended for it to break," the perky alien was searching her room for her spending money and didn't see Raven's guilty look nor hear her mutter a tiny agreement. "Oh!" Star's exclamation startled Raven out of her reverie, "here it is. Shall we go now?"

Raven gave the smallest of nods and led the way out of the cheerful room, eager to be elsewhere. The two girls walked side by side through the hallway, Starfire chatting incessantly and Raven only paying enough attention to her to occasionally nod or make small noises of agreement. They headed up to the roof passing the boys in the process, however all three of them were thoroughly engrossed in a game and didn't notice either of the girls.

"It is good that the rain has stopped, is it not? Everything always looks so wonderful after a storm."

"Don't remind me," again the gothic girl's tone was lost on the alien. "Although it is more pleasant to fly when it isn't raining."

And so with that, both girls lifted off into the air and headed into the city.

Interlude: Robin's Search 

Robin had grown tired of watching Cyborg kick Beast Boy's butt at video games and had decided to check up on the others since he hadn't seen any signs of either of them recently. He figured that he would check on Starfire first since there was less danger to life and limb with her than with Raven.

Knock, knock

No answer. "Starfire? Are you there?" He was standing outside her room wondering if he should go in. He opened her door a crack and peered inside. "Huh, no Starfire, maybe she's with Raven." He closed the door quietly and walked quickly down the hall. A moment later his gloved hand was knocking on the much more dangerous door. "Raven?"

No answer. He knew better than to poke his nose in her room but he refused to admit defeat. A brief search failed to locate either of them anywhere else in the tower either.

"Booyah!" Robin had found his way back to the living room where Cyborg had once again stomped B. B..

"Have either of you two seen Raven or Starfire? I can't find them anywhere in the tower."

"You're gonna pay for that snot boy! Huh? Oh, Robin No, I haven't seen them for a while," his face suddenly lifted as he ran the green car off the screen.

Beast Boy quickly converted his shocked look to one of determination. "Haven't seen 'em either, if you're that concerned why don't you check their location on your communicator."

"I think I will," Robin said pulling his communicator from his belt and flipping it open. "It appears they are heading into the city." The Titan leader focused on the screen a bit harder. "It appears they are headed for the mall." Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged a meaningful look.

"Hard to tell who I feel more sorry for," Cyborg began, "Raven for dealing with Starfire at a mall…"

"…or Starfire for having to deal with Raven at a mall," the green titan finished.

The Mall: Disturbing Epiphany 

The mall. Brightly lit, crowded, and popular, Raven wondered whatever had possessed her to suggest this.

"Is it not glorious my friend?"

Raven cast a dirty look at her friend, but the effort wasn't even noticed. By Azar, did everything make that girl happy? There were people staring at them now, two of the Teen Titans hanging out at the mall like normal humans, granted it didn't help that Starfire was still floating in midair.

"Uh Starfire? Perhaps we should walk, people are staring at us."

"Oh yes," she lowered herself till both feet once again touched the ground, "I often forget that it is uncommon for people of this planet to fly."

Yes, Raven thought, this was definitely a bad idea, but it is too late to back out now. She just hoped that no one asked for their autographs this time, last time that happened she had to stop herself from sending the offending person to an alternate dimension.

"Come friend, where shall we go first? Perhaps the store of jewelry, or maybe the store with the flowery soaps, or…"

"Starfire!" Raven interrupted before she could get going.

"Yes Raven?"

"Maybe we should visit the glass works store first," she suggested flatly.

"Oh yes, of course."

" I believe there's a map over here." There was a definite note of resignation in her voice as they walked over to the map of the mall and away from the doors that represented an avenue of escape.

"So where are we on this map?" Starfire inquired, not being familiar with Earthly maps.

"Uh, right here where it says 'you are here'," the tall girl looked slightly abashed at this obvious revelation.

"Oh…I did not see that."

"It's okay Starfire, the place we want is this way," Raven led the Tamaranean off to one side and up the escalator to the second floor. Raven had to lift her cloak slightly as she stepped off; she always worried about it getting caught. "It should be down at the end here."

"I always marvel at this place. We have nothing like this on my home world." As usual she was bouncing along only barely managing to keep her feet on the floor. If this wasn't so irritating, Raven thought to herself, Starfire would look quite cute.

Raven stopped so fast that Starfire, walking right behind her and not paying complete attention to where she was going, crashed into her and knocked her down.

"Oh! I am sorry my friend. Are you hurt?" She leaned over and extended her hand to help the dark girl up.

"I'm fine," she replied darkly as she pushed herself up, completely ignoring the proffered hand.

"Are you sure you are not hurt?"

Raven cast a dark look at Star as she brushed herself off. Starfire wisely decided to change the subject. "Why did you stop suddenly?"

"I…something startled me." Raven usually loathed admitting that anything could startle her, but in this case she didn't want to admit the truth even more. "Let's go."

They started walking again, Raven's mind elsewhere. Chaotic thoughts filling her normally calm mind. Did she really think Starfire was cute? No, she couldn't, she was her friend, and she wasn't gay. She knew Starfire was pretty but any feelings for here were entirely platonic. She…

"Raven?"

A nearby trashcan exploded, everybody turned to look. "Sorry," Raven mumbled. Everyone continued to look for a moment before hurrying away. She took a deep breath and turned to her companion. "Yes?" Her tone was eerily calm.

"We have arrived at our destination," the redhead tipped her head at the store in question.

"Oh." She turned to look at the store.

"What is the problem friend?"

"There isn't any problem, Starfire," Raven said over her shoulder as she entered the store.

"Starfire cast one final concerned look at the trashcan that had recently been on the receiving end of Raven's powers before following her friend into the store.

Dream: Mysterious Shadow 

She was flying alone in a cloudy, starless night. The bay below was calm and as black as the sky. She was looking for something, or someone, but she couldn't remember what or who. The cold wind made her shiver, she needed to find shelter but there was nowhere to land. She wrapped her cloak around her tightly.

Wait…

Something was chasing her. She looked behind her but couldn't see anything, yet she could sense some malevolent entity following her. She flew with all her strength but it didn't seem to be enough, whatever was following her was catching up. The water blurred beneath her. It was almost on top of her. It surged forth to engulf her, and then nothing

…

She was being carried. Footsteps echoed on a stone floor. Her heart was beating fast, yet she felt calm, safe. The footsteps paused and she heard a door slide open, a few more steps, then it slid closed again. Her mysterious caregiver laid her gently on a bed. A soft hand caressed her face, sending a jolt through her body. She brought her own hand up and laid it over the hand on her cheek. A shadow fell over her and a pair of lips brushed hers. It was over before she realized what was happening.

"No, don't stop," she mumbled and pressed the hand closer to her. The lips descended again. This time is wasn't a brush of lips, but an embrace. Electricity ran through their lips and back through their hands. She knew that here, now, she didn't need to fear her powers, here, her emotions were safe. The kiss ended after a brief eternity.

"I love you, dear Raven," said a quiet, clear voice.

Raven knew that voice…. Her eyes snapped open. "Starfire…" she breathed.

Attack: Strength for Two 

The titan's alarm was going off.

Raven's eyes snapped open, dream forgotten. She flew towards her door, telekinetically fastening her cloak around her neck. By the time she reached the main room everyone except Beast Boy was already there.

"What's the deal Robin?" Cyborg yawned.

"Plasmus escaped again. He's downtown now and heading for the industrial sector."

Cyborg checked a screen on his arm, "If we take the T-car we can be there in ten minutes."

"Let's go then," Robin said as he hurried out and the others followed, even bleary eyed Beast Boy.

They were all quiet as they piled into the T-car, although it wasn't just the hour that had them all silent. Raven and Starfire still had their minds on what happened back at the mall. As the T-car sped downtown Raven kept her eyes focused firmly out the window and away from her companions. Starfire just kept casting worried looks at the back of her friend's head, but knew better than to try to break the silence.

True to the half-metal titan's calculations they caught sight of Plasmus after about ten minutes.

"We have to keep him busy so the civilians can escape!" Robin exclaimed as they poured from the car. "Titans, Go!" With this battle cry the five superheroes rushed towards the towering mass of purple goo.

Starfire let loose with a barrage of starbolts as Cyborg fired his sonic cannon. The combined blast spattered Plasmus against a nearby building. Plasmus quickly reformed, apparently unfazed, and spewed acid at them.

"Azarath metrion zinthos!" with her incantation a car parked on the street was enveloped in black energy and few at the slimy monster. The abomination caught the car and lobbed it back at the sorceress. She only had enough time to create an energy shield around her before the car crashed into her forcing her to the ground. She looked up through the clearing dust in time to see another car hurtling towards her.

Suddenly a red and purple figure appeared in front of Raven. Starfire had flown in and stopped the car before it could crush her friend. The alien quickly tossed it to one side before turning towards Raven. "Are you unharmed?" Starfire was standing over her, wary of any more incoming projectiles.

"Bruised and battered, but I'll live," she struggled to stand before giving a small yelp and collapsing back down onto the pavement. "My leg, I must have twisted it when I fell, and I can't heal myself easily mid-battle."

"Then I shall help you," Starfire reached down, ignoring Raven's feeble protests, and pulled the injured titan's arm up over her shoulder. Raven's hand brushed against the Tamaranean's breast. A brief surge of power resulted in a mailbox almost entering low Earth orbit, fortunately for Raven, with the battle going on, no one noticed.

"Focus, Raven, focus!" she mumbled to herself under her breath. She was fighting through the pain in her leg as well as distractions from…other sources. "We need to help them, any ideas Starfire?"

The others were keeping Plasmus at bay. Robin was throwing his electric disks while Cyborg blasted away with his sonic cannon. Beast Boy was shifting forms like crazy and getting in his own licks whenever he could.

"We need to hit him hard enough to knock him out." Raven knew that her power alone couldn't create a strong enough blast.

"Perhaps if you use your powers and if I use my starbolts, together we might be strong enough."

"That might work." Sweat was forming on her brow. The pain in her leg was getting to her. She wished she could take the time out to heal herself, but that would have to wait. "You ready to try?"

Starfire nodded her agreement and freed one hand from supporting Raven, although she kept her other arm around her waist so the small girl wouldn't collapse again.

Raven looked up, her eyes glowing white. "Azarath metrion zinthos!" she intoned as Starfire shouted, "Friends, take cover!" and shot forward her own blast of energy from her free hand. The two energies combined and formed and green and black column that struck Plasmus so hard it took several moments for the dust to clear. All that could be heard on the rubble strewn street was the quiet sound of someone snoring amidst the settling wreckage.

"Dudes! That was awesome!" a dust covered Beast Boy cried jubilantly.

"Are you two alright?" Robin coughed.

"No, Raven's leg has been injured," Starfire was still supporting the dark titan's form.

"I can heal myself once we're back at the tower."

"We should get you back to the tower then. Starfire, can you make sure she gets back safely? Cyborg, Beast Boy and I will make sure he," Robin jerked his thumb over his shoulder, "gets put back where he needs to be."

Of course, Robin," The tall girl turned to her friend, "Can you fly Raven?"

Raven looked up, looking paler than usual if that was possible, "Yes, but I'm a little unsteady, I might crash."

"I will steady you then," Starfire said and slowly lifted them both into the air.

Once they cleared the rooftops Raven became very aware of the location of her hand near Starfire's breast and Starfire's hand around her waist. "Uh Starfire? You can let me go now, just catch me if I fall."

"Are you sure? I have no problems carrying you," there was a distinct look of concern in those green eyes.

Raven briefly thought about losing her balance and plummeting from the sky until she remembered their hands, "I'm sure," she stated distantly.

Her friend reluctantly let her go but continued to watch her. Raven wobbled a moment before steadying herself. Slowly they headed back to the tower.

They arrived at their home in a few moments and landed on the roof, or, more accurately, Starfire landed, Raven crashed.

"Here my friend, I shall help you to your room." Raven tried to protest but Starfire would not be deterred, this time. Soon Raven found herself once again with her arm around Starfire's shoulder. They walked down the hall like this until they reached the door to Raven's room.

"I can manage from here," Raven's tone would likely have sent a weaker person running for the nearest bomb shelter, alas Starfire was made of stronger stuff than most people and also knew her friend wouldn't actually hurt her, well fairly sure at least.

"No, I with to be certain that you are safely in bed," Raven shot her an extraordinarily dirty look which Starfire ignored. Star opened the door and led the pair across the creepy room and to the side of the massive bed. Raven slid onto the bed, hoping that at least in this Starfire wouldn't try to help. "If you desire anything, please just let me know," she was clearly reluctant to leave.

"I just want to be alone," by Azar, this girl could be exasperating.

"Very well." The door closed behind her and Raven let out a sigh. She laid down on her bed and entered a trance to finally heal her leg. Soon after, she drifted off to sleep, just before sleep took her fully, she could have sworn that she heard Starfire's voice in her mind.

_"If you desire anything, please just let me know."_

Dream, pt. II: Affection Returned 

It was like it had never stopped, like the intervening time had never happened.

"Starfire…" she gazed into the depths of those eyes. She hadn't realized how beautiful she was before now.

"Raven…" the dark child's body quivered in hearing her name come from those lips.

Starfire's hand was still being pressed against Raven's cheek. They both stared at each other knowing no words were needed, yet yearning to let the other know how she felt. They passed several moments in silence, nothing moving except their hearts, which seemed as though they might burst. Then Starfire lifted her hand from the pale face, Raven moved to lower her hand to her side, hurt showing behind her violet eyes until Starfire took her hand halfway to her side and gently set herself down on the bed beside Raven. She calmly placed their hands in her lap, Raven urged to take this gesture a step further but held back, instead she slowly sat up and wrapped her arm around the alien, and rested her head against her chest. Starfire responded by stroking Raven's hair with her free hand. They sat in this embrace for several minutes before Raven pulled back just enough to look up into the other's face. Starfire gave her an encouraging little smile and moved just a little closer. This time Raven made the first move, she pushed herself up until their lips met. She had though that the kiss before had been perfect but now that she knew whom she was kissing it was many times better. Everything else melted away; it was as if they were the only things in the universe, as if they were the entire universe. When it ended both girls felt as though they had both gained and lost something precious.

"I love you too Starfire," she whispered and smiled slightly before kissing her again.

Awkwardness: Forgetting 

Raven shot up in her bed in a cold sweat. That had to have been a nightmare. There was no way she felt that way about Starfire. She shook her head, hard, trying to forget the dream. It had felt so real to her; a part of her didn't want to let it go. She just needed to meditate, she told herself, she must control her emotions. She was just still upset about what happened at the mall yesterday, that was all.

Her gaze wandered to her shelf where a small glass raven sat. It had been easy to repair and Raven hadn't seen the need to shove it back on the shelf so that it couldn't be seen, she was beginning to reconsider that decision.

She looked over at the time. It was still early; early enough that it was unlikely that anyone else was awake, especially given the battle the night before.

Last night… Raven remembered how Starfire had cared for her until she knew that she was safe. That hadn't been so bad her troubled mind said. No, she shot back, I should never have allowed it. She shook her head again. I'll take a shower and I'll forget all about this, she thought. Raven threw back the covers, got up off her bed, and walked quietly out of her room.

…

Several minutes later the door slid open to admit Raven. She had a dark towel wrapped around her body and another similar towel wrapped around her hair. She walked to her closet and pulled out one of her many identical outfits. She removed both towels and stood in front of her mirror for a moment completely undressed. She looked briefly at her pale body before slipping on her clothes. A burst of her telekinesis summoned her brush from the nightstand while another small burst pulled the water from her hair. She smiled just a little, she loved that particular trick. The black hairbrush passed through her short hair guided by her mind. The shower definitely had helped her get her mind off of the vents from the night before.

Tap, tap

Raven turned towards her door, she hadn't expected anyone to be awake yet. Her brush returned to her nightstand as her cloak wrapped itself around her at her silent command and she glided to her door. She paused at her shelf briefly to absently move the black figurine back to the high shelf and out of sight before answering the door.

"Morning Raven," Robin said once the door slid open the usual few inches. "I just wanted to see if you were feeling better today."

Raven briefly imagined telling him everything but quickly quashed that errant thought. "I'm fine," she said stoically.

"Are you sure? You seemed to be hurt pretty badly last night."

"I healed myself as soon as I got back here," her voice was a little cold now. Robin knew she could heal herself given sufficient time, there was something else.

Robin looked slightly skeptical, "Alright, but I'm here if you need me for anything."

"I told you I'm fine," this time her words were so cold it was surprising that ice hadn't formed on the doorframe. She slid the door closed and turned around to lean her back against the door. She took a deep breath, what did he know? What did he suspect? It didn't matter, there was nothing. "I just need to meditate," she said aloud to herself. She took another deep breath and headed out to the living room.

The main room was blissfully empty and quiet as she took her customary place levitating in front of the window.

"Azarath metrion zinthos," peace, quiet, tranquility. "Azarath metrion zinthos," there is nothing here, just myself. "Azarath metrion zinthos," there were footsteps coming, just ignore them. "Azarath metrion…"

"Raven!" One of the monitors nearby exploded as Raven dropped out of the air and hit the floor, hard.

"Hello Starfire," Raven said darkly. She got up off the floor a little stiffly and shot Starfire a dirty look usually reserved for Beast Boy.

"I'm ver sorry my friend, I did not wish to startle you."

"You didn't," she stated coldly and walked out of the room.

"Was it something I said?" Starfire asked to the empty room.

Meanwhile, Raven's mind was slightly troubled. Starfire, however enthusiastic, shouldn't have caused her powers to lash out like that. She shook her head, she couldn't have feeling other than friendship and, occasionally, annoyance, for her, she just couldn't. Perhaps if she ignored it for a few days she would forget all about this.

That's it, she thought, I'll put all this out of my mind and in a few days I will forget all about this.

She set off for the rooftop to finish her meditation, hopefully without any interruptions this time. Maybe today won't be too bad after all, she thought, not too bad at all.

Moonlight: Innocent Tears 

Her violet eyes slowly opened. It took her a moment to realize where she was and what she was doing, but when she did she groaned. She had had the dream about Starfire again, just as she had every night for the past week. Her promise to herself to ignore these feeling shad not gone well.

Raven sat up in her bed with a blanket wrapped around her as she remembered just how bad the week had gone.

Starfire was slightly depressed because Raven had taken to ignoring her, and the rest of the team kept asking Raven what was going on, but she couldn't give them a good answer. She hadn't been able to properly meditate and random objects kept exploding, especially when Starfire was around.

Raven glanced at her clock, four-thirty A.M., not even Robin would be up this early. She decided to go get some breakfast now, to avoid running into anyone out there.

She got off her bed and headed to the kitchen. The hallways were dark still with the only light coming from the moon through the windows. As she approached the main room she heard a small sniffling, Raven thought about returning to her room until she realized the source of the sniffles. She walked quietly over to the couch where the noise was coming from.

"Hello Starfire," she said softly.

The Tamaranean gave a tiny eep before responding. "Good morning Raven," her voice was strained and unsure.

Raven moved around the couch to sit beside her friend. "Are you okay Starfire?" the question wasn't needed, in all the time Raven had known her she had never seen the usually bubbly girl cry.

Starfire turned to her dark companion, tears glistening in the moonlight. Raven couldn't help but think how beautiful she still was. "Have I done something to offend you?" her voice was pleading.

"No Star, you haven't done a thing," she kept her eyes low, not wanting to meet the pain in her friend's emerald eyes.

"Then why do you avoid me?"

"I…I'm sorry Starfire," she wanted to say more but words failed her. "Starfire," she began again, "It wasn't you, I've been trying to deal with something lately and I guess you all got caught up in it," she normally wasn't this open but she felt she owed her friend some sort of explanation.

"So it wasn't me?" Starfire inquired with a hopeful smile.

"No Starfire, it wasn't you."

"Oh thank you my friend," a big smile lit up her face as she leapt forward to embrace her surprised companion, knocking her down on the couch against the sofa cushions in the process.

Raven had saw Star lunge and clamped her eyes shut before her head was plowed into the cushions. She fought an internal battle to keep her powers under control. Starfire needed this; she needed Raven to accept her.

After a moment Starfire go up off her friend and both of them sat back up. "I am sorry my friend, I know you do not usually appreciate my hugs," she looked slightly abashed.

"It's okay, this time," she paused for a moment, "Perhaps we should try to get some more sleep though, you look tired," she wanted to change the subject before Starfire noticed her face heating up. Raven stood and offered her hand to help the other girl up in an unusually friendly gesture; Starfire took it and pulled herself up. The walked silently down the hall until they stood in front of Starfire's door.

"Goodnight Raven, I hope you feel better as well."

"Goodnight Starfire, and I do," she flashed her one of her rare smiles and received on in return before Starfire disappeared into her room. Raven turned to head to her own room, feeling better than she had in a week. She opened her own door without really looking and moved to her bed.

"I guess I can deal with this," she mumbled to herself, "after all, there are worse people to fall in love with."

Her last thought before dozing off was that maybe she need that hug as much as Starfire had, she could get used to that, and with that she fell into a deep, peaceful slumber.

Confession and Confusion 

When Raven woke up the next morning she took extra care brushing her hair and getting dressed for the day, had she been anyone else she likely would have been humming. She had had the dream about her and Starfire again last night but now it didn't bother her. She had decided that, one way or another; she was going to tell Starfire about her feelings for her today.

Her brush paused in midair, but what about her powers. In her dream they hadn't mattered, but now that she was awake they could be a severe encumbrance. She had been able to control them a little more since the incident with her father, but extreme negative emotions like fear or embarrassment could still trigger an explosion. She had to try though, she couldn't just forget about this. She sighed softly and returned the still floating hairbrush to her nightstand before fixing her standard blasé expression on her face and heading out the door.

Her feet quickly carried her to Starfire's door. However it was several moments before she could knock. Her tiny fist made so little noise that it was unlikely that Starfire would have heard it unless her ear had been pressed to the door.

"Going to need to knock louder Raven," she mumbled to herself. Raven steeled herself with another deep breath before raising her fist to the door again.

This time the noise was loud and clear, there was no way anyone in there could have missed it. Raven waited yet no one came to answer the door. Disappointed, Raven set off to find Starfire elsewhere.

Her search quickly led her to the living room where, unlike earlier, everyone was up. Cyborg and Beast Boy were at their video game again and Robin was busying himself making a late breakfast, but the one person she was actually looking for was still conspicuously absent. She was about to turn around and continue her search when her name was called from across the room.

"Her Raven!" Robin called out.

Two heads in the vicinity of the couch whipped around so fast that Raven could have sworn she heard Beast Boy's neck crick, in fact she saw him rub his neck after a second. Raven sighed and floated over to the kitchen area.

"Morning," she said flatly.

"Good to see you out of your room again."

"And not blowing things up," Beast Boy murmured from his relative safety of the couch. He was quickly silenced by his half-metal companion.

"You want some breakfast?" Robin asked, holding up a plate of eggs and ham.

"No, thank you though," this set Robin back a little, he wasn't used to Raven being polite.

"Okay, Raven, spill. You haven't even given Beast Boy a dirty look yet. Last time you were this nice in the morning the world ended."

The vein in her forehead pulsed in slight anger, she quickly suppressed it thought, she had other things to deal with today. "There's nothing," she decided to take a slight risk, "Have you seen Starfire? There was something I needed to speak with her about," she hoped her question seemed innocent enough.

Robing cocked an eyebrow, "I believe she took Silkie for a walk earlier, she's probably not back yet."

Raven's heart dropped but she managed to keep her face and voice neutral. "It doesn't matter, it was nothing important," she cast one more quick look around the room, as if the Tamaranean was hiding in the corner, before turning and walk walking out.

"I'm not sure which is creepier, Raven normally or when she is in a good mood," Beast Boy said.

"Yeah, that girl should have a warning label," Cyborg added.

Meanwhile Raven, walking down the hallway and oblivious to Cyborg's and Beast Boy's commentary, was trying to think of what she could do until Starfire returned from walking her pet maggot. She eventually decided on reading since she felt a tad too pent up to attempt to meditate. She quickly walked to her room to retrieve one of her many books, but instead of staying in her room she tucked the book under her arm and headed down to the tower's ground floor. Once there, Raven stepped outside onto the grass that covered their tiny island.

The sky was relatively overcast with almost no wind. Raven inhaled deeply, taking in the smells and sounds of the bay air. She resolved to come down here for peace and quiet more often. She quietly floated down to the edge of the water and situated herself above one of the larger rocks that littered the area.

After about an hour of peaceful silence Raven heard someone come up behind her.

"Raven? I do not wish to disturb you but I heard you were looking for me."

Raven slipped a bookmark between the pages of her book and turned around in midair to confront the object of her affection. "I was, but perhaps we could talk in someplace a little more private."

Starfire looked around, "But Raven, there is no one here, is this place not private?"

"It is, but I was thinking of going to up to my room so we couldn't be seen or heard."

The tall alien was puzzled but acquiesced and followed Raven as she walked to the tower. Starfire bombarded the cloaked figure with questions as they headed for Raven's room but Raven refused to answer until they reached their destination.

Finally they arrived. Raven set her book back on the shelf then glided over to sit on the edge of her bed while Starfire, as she always did on the rare instances when she was allowed in the gothic girl's room, stared in wonder at the dark décor.

"You should probably sit down," Raven said as she lowered her hood.

Starfire pulled herself from her brief reverie and situated herself in midair in front of Raven. "Please, you appear troubled, what is the matter? Is it something I said or did this morning?"

She's not making this any easier, Raven thought, even the way she speaks is lovely. "Starfire, do you remember last week when I was hurt and you half carried me home? I was upset about you insisting on caring for me until we returned?"

The redhead nodded.

"Well, since then, something changed."

"I'm afraid I do not understand."

Raven took a few deep breaths, both to give her a moment to figure out how to continue as well as to calm herself so she wouldn't lose control of her powers. "You know that I'm not used to expressing my emotions, but I can't control this one," she paused, another deep breath, "I like you Starfire," her violet eyes were fixed on the floor, unwilling to look at her companion.

"I like you too, you are my friend," her head was cocked to one side, confusion plainly apparent on her face. "Did I do something to make you think I did not like you?"

"No Starfire, what I mean is that I…love you," the last two words were barely more than a whisper.

Comprehension dawned, and it was Starfire's turn to drop out of the air.

Raven rushed forward to help her friend up. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said anything, please forgive me," several of her books flew off the shelves to smack against the opposite wall, they both ignored them.

Starfire regained her feet and walked to the bed, eager to be off them again, "You, love me?" she asked.

"Please just forget about it, I shouldn't have told you," the curtains tore themselves away from the window, Starfire flinched at the sound but didn't comment.

"You love me?" she repeated, staring right into Raven's eyes.

The dark girl couldn't meet that stare and looked down after a couple seconds. "Yes Starfire, I love you."

"I am confused, is it normal for two girls to love each other on Earth?"

"No it isn't, but it isn't unheard of either," she kept her eyes firmly on the floor.

"I believe I now understand why you have been acting strangely lately."

"Please don't tell the others, if we could just pretend I didn't say anything," she was almost begging.

"I will not tell the others, but I do not think I can pretend that nothing has changed," she stood up and walked to the door, "I need to think about all this, please do not think I am mad, you are still my friend." Then she opened the door and stepped outside.

"I hope we still are friends," Raven mumbled to herself, "I truly do."

Kiss: Light and Dark 

It had been two days since Raven had confess her love to Starfire. Since then barely a word had passed between them. Half the time Raven would virtually flee the moment Starfire entered the room. On the rare occurrence they were all in the same room the boys tried to get them to talk to each other with little success. It never seemed that they were mad at each other, just that they were waiting.

Raven was currently hiding in her room again; she had been doing that a lot lately. She was trying to meditate but a certain redhead kept intruding on her thoughts.

"Azarath metrion zinthos," she was sitting on the floor, she'd fallen from the air too often of late. "Azarath metrion zinthos," any day now Starfire was going to break her heart for good. "Azarath metrion zinthos," she wished she could have just one kiss, then maybe it would have been worth it all.

Raven's eyes opened, she knew where this line of thought was going. Pretty soon she would start fantasizing and then her focus would be lost. I need to find something to occupy my mind, she thought. She looked around her dark, gloomy room for something to keep her busy. The large pile of books against one wall was immediately apparent; she had never put them away from the other day. Raven stood up and walked over to begin sorting the massive pile of spellbooks, grimoires, scrolls, and even a few novels. Each book she carefully looked over and placed on the shelves by hand. Soon Raven was lost in the rhythm of the job she had set herself to.

…

The last book slid onto the shelf, right between Sorcerous Ways for the Sorceress Today and Translating Ancient Runes for Fools, the latter had been a gift from Beast Boy last Christmas. Raven yawned and looked out the window, it had grown dark, she must have been at this for hours.

The light flicked off with a tiny telekinetic surge as Raven removed her cloak and climbed into bed. She had just pulled the covers up around her when there was a knock at her door. She considered ignoring it; after all she had just gotten comfortable. While she was thinking there was another knock, more insistent this time.

"Raven? It is I, Starfire, may I enter?"

The light flicked on and Raven was at the door in less than a heartbeat. "Starfire," she breathed, "please, come in." Raven was trying to stay calm, but was almost happy that at least they were speaking.

"Raven," she began as she stepped into the room, "about the other day, do you still feel that way?" her face was unusually serious.

One little lie, Raven thought, could solve a lot. "I…" those emerald eyes looked into hers, so trusting, she couldn't lie, no to Starfire. "I do," it was coming, she knew it, the proverbial final blow.

"Tell me again, I wish to hear it again," her tone was pleading.

Why is she torturing me, the dark girl thought, just finish it. "I…love you," it felt as if her face was on fire.

Starfire smiled and stepped forward to wrap her arms around the smaller girl. Raven tilted her head up, eyes wide in astonishment.

"I believe I love you too, my friend."

The dark violet eyes glistened as if from unshed tears and Raven raised her own arms around the other girl.

"Star? Can I hear you say it again?"

Her expression stated clearer than words that she understood, "I love you, dear Raven."

Raven gently laid her head against Starfire's chest as the alien stroked her short, dark hair. They stood there for several minutes before either spoke.

"Raven, there is something I do not understand," Raven made a questioning sound but didn't move or even open her eyes. "I thought that if you felt your emotions you would lose control of your powers."

"I do, but when…my father came, the part of me that was truly dangerous was lost. I now have a little more freedom to experience my emotions. Although…" she pulled back a little, "I still can lose control if I am caught by surprise or if I am overwhelmed." Her arms dropped and she took a step back, resuming a neutral expression. "In fact it might not be safe for anyone to be in a relationship with me until I learn to control my powers better with my emotions."

"Raven, I love you, and I am quite willing to take that risk. Besides," she floated forward to resume their embrace, "I trust you."

Raven's violet eyes went wide as Starfire's lips met hers. The feeling was beyond anything she had ever felt before. She clamped her eyes shut waiting for the surge of power she knew would result from such a powerful feeling, but it never came.

Starfire pulled away, a concerned look appeared on her face. "My friend, did I hurt you?" there was a note of panic in her voice, "you are crying."

A pale hand reached up in astonishment to touch the tears on her cheek. I never cry, she thought. Her companion was watching her with open concern.

"No Starfire, I believe these are tears…of joy."

"So you are not upset that I kissed you?"

"No I'm not," a smile spread itself over her face, "In fact I was hoping we could do that again."

The playful alien flew forward and grabbed the other girl, knocking them both onto the bed. Their lips locked again, only this time it was Starfire that got the surprise. Raven's lips parted and her tongue hesitantly brushed against Starfire's lips. The redhead shuddered with delight and parted her own lips. Her slender body shook from desire as the dark girl's tongue entered her mouth and felt around for its counterpart. They touched and both girls felt as if a current was running though them.

Raven was the first to pull away, for lack of air more than any desire to break the connection. She sighed deeply and laid her head down next to Star's ample chest.

"Why did you stick your tongue in my mouth Raven?" she didn't sound upset, only curious.

"It's called a french kiss, Star."

"But you are not French," her voice sounded slightly confused.

Raven chuckled softly, "It's just what it is called, it has nothing to do with where a person if from."

"Oh, it was quite enjoyable though."

"Yes, it was."

It was a few moments before either spoke again.

"Starfire?"

"Hmm?" she was stroking Raven's hair again.

"You know what it means to be someone's girlfriend, don't you?"

"Yes Raven, I do."

"Would you be my girlfriend?" she could hear the Tamaranean's heart beating. She was almost surprised it was in a similar location to her own.

"I would very much like that, as long as you would be mine."

"I would be honored." If Raven didn't know better she would've sworn that Starfire was purring.

The night deepened outside as the two girls remained locked in their embrace. They soon drifted off, each just happy to be in the other's arms.

Day After: Holding Hands 

Raven woke but didn't open her eyes; she was trying to preserve the memory of a dream she had had last night. It had all felt so real; it even felt as though her love was still next to her. "If only it had been real," she mumbled into her pillow.

Maybe I'm still dreaming, she thought, cause it sounded like my pillow giggled.

"Please stop Raven, that tickles."

No, she couldn't believe it, it couldn't be. It felt as though a hand was stroking her hair again. She slowly opened her eyes, hoping it hadn't been a dream. Everything was purple for a moment until her eyes adjusted to the early morning sunlight fighting through her curtains. Her vision cleared and the mass of purple that a few moments ago she had thought was a pillow resolved itself into a rather well endowed chest.

The tiny heroine sat up in her bed to look at the face of her friend, no, she reminded herself, her _girl_friend.

Starfire just laid there gazing bleary-eyed at Raven. "Good morning, girlfriend, did you sleep well?" she sounded as if waking up in another girl's bed after having spent all night in that girl's arms was something she did everyday.

Raven just stared at those emerald eyes, "Please tell me you're not a dream."

Starfire's brow furrowed in a slightly confused look, that had been happening a lot lately, "I do not feel like a dream, but I do not know what that would feel like."

The Azarathean lunged at the prone girl, landing on top of her and caught her in a passionate kiss in which Raven found out that Tamaranean's have very long tongues.

They only separated when the need for oxygen became an issue.

"Did I do that right?" Starfire asked, referring to the kiss.

"You did it perfectly," she flashed a small smile.

"Raven," that concerned look was back, "what are we to tell the others?"

The dark girl froze, she hadn't considered this. They couldn't tell the others, Robing wouldn't understand because of his feelings for Starfire. Cyborg, well he might be okay once he got over the shock, but Beast Boy…she shuddered.

"Maybe we shouldn't mention it to them, one can only guess how they would react," she said somberly.

"I do not like keeping secrets from my friends and I believe they will understand."

Raven shook her head; Starfire could be remarkably naïve. "Even if I did think they would understand, I doubt I could tell them."

"But I will be there as well, I can give you strength. Please Raven?"

That girl is good, Raven thought, how am I supposed to turn down that voice, those eyes. "I'll try, for you." I just hope I don't regret it, she added silently.

"Thank you!" Starfire said before showering her defeated companion with kisses.

…

They could see all three boys sitting on the couch from the relative safety of the hallway. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were thoroughly engrossed in one of their video games, they probably wouldn't have noticed if an elephant stampeded through the room. What the girls were planning, however, would make the elephant seem commonplace.

"We don't have to do this," Raven whispered, "we could still go back to our rooms."

"Do not worry, I am here with you," as if to emphasize her statement she reached over to take Raven's hand in her own.

Starfire walked into the room dragging her reluctant girlfriend behind her. She stopped a little bit from the couch and cleared her throat softly to get the boys' attention. Her attempt to wretch their attention from their game was less than successful. Undeterred, Starfire tried again, louder this time. Robin turned around to locate the source of the disturbance.

"Hey, what's…" he trailed off when he caught sight of the girls' interlocked hands.

"Yo Robin, you're falling behind," Cyborg said, he hadn't noticed the titan's shift in focus. Robin rectified this by elbowing the large man. "Hey!" he turned around, "dude, you made me miss a power-up," the half-metal man looked to see what Robin was staring at. His lower jaw dropped.

The game made a sound of victory. "Yeah!" Beast Boy shot up off the couch and started dancing around. "I win, I win, I…" he too stumbled for words as he caught sight of the two girls.

"Good morning friends, Raven and I have something we wish to announce." Starfire was smiling brightly, but Raven clearly showed a desire to be anywhere but here. Her violet eyes wouldn't meet her friends' eyes and her face was burning so hotly it felt like it was on fire. She squeezed Starfire's hand trying to focus on that connection so she wouldn't lose control due to her embarrassment.

"Er dudes? Why are you holding hands?" Beast Boy hadn't quite caught on yet.

"It is because Raven is my girlfriend," Starfire said jubilantly. Raven, meanwhile was trying to figure out how to become invisible.

"Beast Boy's jaw joined Cyborg's on the floor.

"Uh Raven? Please tell me this is some sort of misunderstanding," Robin's voice was filled with futile hope.

"It's not, I…love her," she whispered. She was chanting under her breath and grasping Starfire's hand so hard it probably would have hurt that alien if not for her super-human strength.

This statement seemed to wake Cyborg up out of his stupor, "So how long has this been going on?"

"Since yesterday," Starfire figured she should do most of the talking considering Raven's reluctance to speak. "Raven told me of her feelings a couple days ago, I just needed a few days to think about it all."

"So that's why you both have been acting strangely lately. I knew Raven was going through something, but I must admit, I didn't expect this," Robin confessed.

Raven looked up slightly, "You knew something?"

"I figured something was up, but I didn't expect Starfire was involved."

"I hope you are not upset, I know you have feelings for her too," Raven was gaining some confidence about this now that the initial shock was over.

"To be honest, I am a little, but I suppose it's my fault for not acting first." The masked titan smiled, "at least I can find solace in the fact that she's not with another man." Raven wasn't sure how to take this last statement.

"I am so glad that my friends are so understanding," chimed Starfire.

"I don't know about that," Raven was looking at the remaining titan who hadn't spoken yet. "I think we might have broken Beast Boy." The green hero was still standing as he had been during his video game victory dance. His arms raised, one leg half off the floor, but his jaw was slack and his eyes were glazed.

Cyborg stood up and waved his hand in front of his face. "Maybe we should get him fixed then," he said with a wicked grin.

"I've been saying that for years," Raven said in her usual dry tone. Meanwhile, Beast Boy had snapped out of his stupor and had morphed into a dog to give a small whimper.

"Sorry," he said after he changed back, "it's just you surprised me. This will just take some getting used to."

"Yeah," Robing agreed, "but we're happy for you both."

"Thank you," Raven said softly, "and sorry for the way I've been acting lately."

Roving stood up and walked around the couch to reassuringly place his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We can see that you had more important things on your mind."

"See Raven?" I knew they would understand," her smile was so big that it threatened to stretch beyond her face.

"Indeed you did Star," she raised their interlocked hands to brush the back of the Tamaranean's hand with her lips.

Starfire took it a step further and placed and enthusiastic kiss right on Raven's lips. The dark girl pulled away quickly, blushing furiously.

"Not in front of the others, Star," she mumbled.

The boys, in the meantime, had slipped into a kind of temporary catatonia, they snapped out of it as the girls separated.

"Dude, that has got to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen!" the shape shifter quickly found himself buried in sofa cushions, courtesy of Raven's powers.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood, otherwise it would have been the entire sofa," Raven said as he burrowed out from under the cushions.

"Come on guys, leave them alone, besides, it's time for combat practice," Robin was already half way to the door as he said this, "and don't think you two can get out of it either, I don't want your relationship getting in the way of our responsibilities." He smiled at them before disappearing into the hallway. Beast Boy and Cyborg quickly followed.

"You heard him Raven, practice first, then perhaps I should show you some of my native dating customs," she released Raven's hand and followed the boys. Raven stood for a moment, eyes wide. Then shook her head and went to join the others.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she asked the air as the door slid closed behind her.

Epilogue: Surrender 

They stood watching the sunset through Starfire's window, both of them with one arm around the other's waist. It had been a long day, even before they had had training. The last few rays slipped below the horizon leaving only twilight and shadows.

As if that was a signal both girls turned toward each other silently and raised their free arm up around the other. They stared into each other's eyes, losing themselves in the moment.

Starfire pulled away slowly, catching Raven's hands in her own. The Tamaranean walked backwards toward her bed, smiling almost mischievously and pulling the empath along too. She sat on the edge of her bed and pulled Raven down after her, forcing the dark girl to straddle her legs in the process.

Raven pulled her legs up on top of the bed, wrapping them around the alien's waist, Starfire raised her eyebrows in surprise at her flexibility, the pale face flashed a guilty grin. Starfire softened her expression and tightened her arms, pulling the girl in for one of their oxygen depriving kisses. Raven felt as if she was flying through the stars, so warm, so free. She marveled at how such a strong girl could feel so soft and inviting against her. She ran her pale hands through her girlfriend's long hair, savoring every sensation.

The dark Azarathean moved her legs and pushed forward causing them to fall back on the bed, without breaking their kiss. Starfire moved her hands from Raven's back to her shoulders, only to slide them down her front. Her hands lightly brushed the small titan's breasts, lingering there lovingly. Raven broke the kiss with a low moan. The gentle hands continued to massage and tease her chest, making her body burn like fire.

Raven's hands began to find their own way over the other girl's golden shoulders and drifted down to rest on Starfire's own well-endowed chest. Starfire quivered with joy and anticipation under the pale girl, but didn't stop her own hands from returning the favor. Raven continued downward caressing every inch. Her hands stopped just short of Star's purple skirt, a look of concern on her face. Starfire noticed and gave her an encouraging smile, silently giving her permission to continue. Raven still hesitated, unsure, not about how far her lover would be willing to go, but about how far she herself would.

Starfire sensed her apprehension, and decided to take matters into her own hands, literally. She mirrored the small girl's movements with her own hands, savoring the feeling, only the tight black uniform between her hands and Raven's skin. She reached her waist and paused like she had, but only for a moment before sliding her hands over her hips. She passed one hand gently over the fabric covering Raven's most intimate area, causing the dark girl to moan loudly. Starfire brought her other hand up to pull the Azarathean's head down for another kiss.

The pair rolled over on the bed, Raven now on bottom. Starfire began kissing Raven's neck, then her shoulder. Suddenly Raven's uniform glowed with energy and flew off her body to land on the floor; Raven had phased her clothes through herself. Starfire looked up in mild surprise only to see a similar expression looking back. Color flared on her gray cheeks, but a demure smile said clearly that she did not entirely regret the absence of her clothing. Starfire smiled back and hastened to sit up enough so she could shed her own attire. She got as far as starting to pull her top off before her clothing was enveloped in the same black energy and flew across the room to join the small pile already on the floor.

Starfire looked down at herself, not surprised, then smiled at Raven's sheepish grin. The alien lowered herself back down, her chest now pressing against Raven's, and began kissing the small girl's neck once again. She worked her way down, first to her neck, then slowly down to her pale, gray breasts. Her lips circled inward, Raven was desperately trying to keep herself quiet, but with little success.

Starfire continued towards her goal, down Raven's belly, placing a delicate kiss on her navel. Raven could barely contain herself, she wanted Starfire to go for the inevitable finale, but at the same time she didn't want her to stop what she was doing.

The Tamaranean passed her waist, and began to focus on the area between her legs. Raven had never felt anything so intense before, her powers surged, struggling to release her emotions, and Raven did something that she had never done before.

She surrendered.

She gave in to her powers; let them feel the absolute love and happiness she was feeling. Instead of an explosion there was peace, as if her powers had been waiting for this all along. Energy rose around them, but not the usual black, it was pure white. It rose slowly to envelop them in a hollow dome, hiding them from the rest of the world. Starfire seemed oblivious, either she didn't notice or didn't care.

Raven grew closer to her own climax as the energy around them grew. All conscious thought had deserted her, leaving only peace beyond anything she had ever before experienced. The room disappeared from view as Raven climaxed. At the same time she reached out with her empathy and latched onto the most precious thing she knew of, Starfire.

Both girls arched their backs in unison; Raven was pouring everything she was feeling into Starfire while experiencing everything the other girl was feeling at the same time. Both girls were feeling the equivalent of Raven's orgasm magnified many times. The result was beyond comprehension, beyond mere pleasure. It encompassed them, drove all sensation of place, of even time from their minds.

And then it was over.

The white energy surrounding them dissipated as Starfire crawled to lie beside her lover. Both of them were breathing hard, barely able to move. It was several minutes before either of them would even turn to look at the other.

Starfire was the first to recover. She rolled over and placed her arm around the still breathless girl next to her while nuzzling one of her ears lovingly. Raven turned to meet Star's lips with her own, holding onto the moment a little longer. They kissed only briefly before pulling back the slightest bit. They lay there and stared into each other's eyes, Raven had brought her hand up to run her fingers through Starfire's hair.

"Raven?" Starfire's whisper was barely audible, even to the girl lying next to her, "I love you."

"I love you too, my Starfire." It was the first time she had said it since they became a couple. It felt good, right. "Please tell me you will always be here for me."

"You need not worry, my love, I will be," she snuggles closer, "always."

With that final word resounding in her mind Raven drifted off to sleep, her final conscious thought was how she would repay Starfire tomorrow night. Besides, why should Star have all the fun?

Tamaraneans evolved from a feline-like species (you need to refer to the older comic books a bit), so I think it is perfectly reasonable to think she can purr sometimes.

--If you want to know where I got that Tamaranean's have long tongues then watch the episode "Mother Mae-Eye" (one also learns that they have nine stomachs in that episode, or at least Starfire does).


End file.
